Forward Movement
by 2AGlitterGirl
Summary: Continuation to One steps back, two step forward. Will Kate and Rick continue to make progress in their relationship?


Castle had a lot of creative energy flowing through him on Thursday. He wrote most of the day and couldn't seem to type fast enough for all the ideas pouring out of his head. Alexis walked into his office noticing him deep in concentration. "Dad aren't you getting hungry?" "Yeah, just a few more paragraphs and then I'm ready to chow down" Castle said barely looking up. "Ok but don't wait too long or it will get cold!" Alexis made dinner and she was eager to have feedback on how her Dad liked it.

"Mmmm, this is so good Alexis!" Castle said taking a bite and looking Alexis' way. "Thanks Dad!" Alexis said proudly. "Yes Honey, this is wonderful!" Martha chimed in. "I'm sooo glad tomorrow's Friday! I had so many tests this week!" Alexis put her head down on the counter top in dramatic fashion. "Just think! That will clear the way for more studying this weekend!" Castle said smiling at his daughter. "Dad!" "Just kidding. I know how hard you work for your grades!" Castle said sincerely. "Are you doing anything tomorrow night?" he asked Alexis. "Nope! My calender is free!" "How about a little Father Daughter time with your old man?" "Sure Dad I would love to!" she said. Castle thought the time is getting shorter and shorter for this kind of stuff. She wouldn't have time anymore once she left home. The thought saddened him a little.

Dinner was over and Castle went back to his study to write some more. He thought about calling Kate but decided he didn't want to scare her off, now that she was finally letting him in. 'I'll call tomorrow morning' he thought. He had his mechanics check out the Ferrari for their little drive tomorrow. He couldn't have it breaking down while Beckett was driving could he? He drifted off in thought about her, almost like a slow motion movie playing in his head. After a few minutes of this he got back to writing. He worked until almost 11 and was getting sleepy, so he decided to call it a night.

Friday morning Kate got up and read the newspaper while drinking some green tea. She loved coffee but decided on green tea today. 'I could really get used to this no working thing' she thought. She never really had that thought before when she took time off and wondered what changed. 'Castle' was her one word answer. She was having such a good time with him and they were getting along really well. 'He wasn't even annoying lately!' she thought smiling. 'Give it time!' she told herself, laughing out loud. She decided to go to the book store this morning. She got dressed and grabbed her cell off the counter.

Kate was looking at all kinds of books. Guitar books, art books, the latest novels. She decided for fun to go look at Castle's books. The shelf held most of his books, with a couple of missing titles. She picked _that _one out, the one dedicated to her. She read the dedication and smiled. She flipped through a few pages and started to read. She'd read all of them of course, but they were so good she wanted to read them again. She couldn't believe she was a fan of his, then started working with him, and they were now dating. 'What are the odds?' she pondered. Her phone started to vibrate and she picked it up out of her purse. 'Castle' it said. She smiled and said hello. She could do away with answering 'Beckett' for now. She wasn't on duty there was no need, since it was Rick.

"Hey Speed Racer! Are you ready for our big drive today?" Castle said with a smile in his voice. "I can't wait!" Kate exclaimed excitedly. "Yeah it's going to be a lot of fun! Wait until you can really open it up! So 11:30 good for you?" Castle asked. "Sounds great Castle!" Rick was happy she was in a good mood. He wanted her to have fun today and thought she had probably never driven a car like this before, at least not before the night he was her undercover sugar daddy.

He picked her up at 11:30 and they went to lunch. The sat outside on the patio in a cafe. Kate ordered iced tea, and Castle ordered an ice coffee. They sat and talked awhile before their food arrived. "So are you ready to go back to work Monday?" Castle asked. "You know, it's funny usually I'm chomping at the bit to get back to work by now, but I'm having so much fun, I sort of don't want to!" Kate said seriously. "Good! I'm glad you are having a nice vacation! You deserve it!" Castle smiled. "Thanks" was all she said. They took their time eating and relaxed."So, ready to hit the road?" Castle said while paying the bill. "Absolutely!" Kate smiled as she said this.

Castle was the driver until they got to a place where it was more open. It would be a good hour and a half before they got there. There were no awkward pauses between them as they talked. It just flowed naturally. They talked about a lot of things. Kate's Dad and family, Castle's side of the family that he knew. Not growing up with a father, and how that affected him. They were getting intimate with each other. It was nice. They were finding out about each others lives outside work. They were making so much progress Castle decided to bring up Josh. "So what happened with you and Josh? Castle asked delicately, trying not to push too much. "Hmm, well we weren't seeing eye to eye anymore. No offense Castle, but I don't really want to talk about him right now." "None taken" he said letting it go.

She didn't want to reveal yet why they broke up, because it had to do mostly with him. Kate started to talk about Castle more and more without even realizing it. It wasn't anything spectacular; like saying he was good looking, or anything that would raise an immediate red flag. It was more like Castle figured out such and such on this or that case. Josh was pretty tolerant, but she was talking about him way too much for it to be just someone she got along with and worked with. Josh finally questioned her, asking if she had feelings for him. She was shocked and said no, but of course that was a lie. It was written all over her face. She didn't even know she was showing it. She denied any feelings for him other than being a friend. "That's how it starts Kate!" Josh said. "You aren't in love with me and we both know it. I can't really say I blame you, I am gone all the time and the time we do spend together is too few and far between." Kate just looked at him. She didn't say a word. They both knew then and there it was over. That was how it ended. He walked away and never called her again. She was sad of course, but he was right, she didn't love him and she did know it. There was no point in hurting him any longer.

"Oh look up there! A nice straight shot! Ready to take the wheel?" Castle said with a devilish grin! Kate giggled and said "yeah!" Castle pulled over to the side of the road and they changed places. Kate hugged the wheel tight and looked over at Castle. "No advice or words of wisdom?" Kate said. "Nope! Have at it, I trust you!" "Ok Castle"she said a little nervously. She didn't want to punch it, so she started off slowly and built speed. 'What an incredible machine!' she thought. Beckett had a masculine side to her when it came to cars and motorcycles. She was up to 90 in no time. She glanced quickly at Rick who had a look that said 'oh yeah!' "Push it a little more Kate!" he said over the roar of the engine. "Ok!" was her reply. She pushed the gas even more and within seconds hit 105. There were no cars around. After that she let off the gas. 60 felt like crawling after that speed! She pulled over to the side and they changed places again. "How did that feel?" Castle said smiling. "That was incredible Castle!" "You're incredible Kate!" he said leaning over and kissing her. They kissed for a few seconds and Castle put his hand on her knee. "That was so much fun!" Kate said still smiling. "Well it doesn't have to be the last time. We can do this again sometime you know!" "Well you won't have to twist my arm!" she said honestly.

"Well at least we didn't get caught by the fuzz!" Castle said a little mockingly. "Ha ha very funny Castle!" Kate replied dryly. He just laughed. They drove awhile enjoying the scenery. As people passed them they looked at the car with envy. "They're looking at you Kate!" "Oh come on! They aren't remotely interested in _me_! Who _wouldn't_ look at this car?"

They drove for a few minutes when Kate pointed, "Oh look Castle! Look how pretty it is over there!" Kate said admiringly. "Wanna get out?" "Sure!" Castle pulled over at a turn-out and they stepped out of the car and closed the doors. Rick went over to her and held her hand as they walked down a small hill. "Careful!" Castle said leading the way. They came to a small stream with rocks all around it. Some big enough to sit on. It was beautiful here. Lots of trees with sunlight streaming through them. There was a coolness in the air as they got closer to the water. They couldn't even hear the sound of the traffic going by anymore. They sat on a rock together silent, just enjoying being in each others presence. Their shoulders were touching and Kate could feel Ricks warmth on her arm. He looked at her and she looked back staring into his blue eyes. They both broke a smile and Rick said "Kate what were we so afraid of? When I think back to all the missed opportunities..." he let the words drop off. "Maybe we wouldn't have gotten to _this_ point though, you know?" Kate said philosophically. "All I know is this has been one of the most emotional weeks of my life, bad and good." Kate said looking down. Castle was a bit taken aback that she said this. She rarely revealed what she was feeling. He leaned over and kissed her cheek in a moment of tenderness and put his arms around her. It wasn't as if she didn't think Castle had this in him, she just didn't know the depths of it until now. How would she know this though _until _now?

"I guess we'd better head back now" Castle said. They had been there about a half an hour not saying much just listening to the water and relaxing. "Ok" Kate said a little reluctantly. "I have a date with Alexis tonight and want to make sure I keep it. She is going to be away from me soon enough and I want to spend time with her before that happens." Castle said with a touch of wistfulness in his voice. "That's nice, Rick, you should!" Kate said.

They listened to music and talked the whole way home. Nothing serious, just silly stuff like the funny videos Castle watched on Youtube. Both of them were energized by having a nice day. Castle pulled up next to Beckett's apartment building and stopped the car. He got out and opened her door for her. "Thank you Castle for indulging me today!" "Any time! She put her arms up to his neck and kissed him."Kate, if you don't think it's too much and you aren't busy, can I see you tomorrow night?" Kate missed him already so she said "Uhm yeah ok. Why don't you come over to my place? I'll fix _you _dinner this time!" "Great! What time would you like me to come?" "How about 6?" "Sounds perfect!" Castle smiled. He kissed her longer this time before breaking away. "Ok, have fun with Alexis tonight!" "Will do!" Castle said as he got into the car.

Kate slept in Saturday morning and eventually got dressed. She needed to go shopping for the dinner tonight. She didn't know of anything Rick really hated to eat, so she thought about what to make. Another thing she had to learn about him. 'Steak?' she questioned. 'Men usually liked steak unless they were vegetarian' she thought.

She went to the store near her apartment. They had a good selection of stuff and she knew she'd find everything she needed. She was half way down an aisle when she saw him. Josh! 'Should she hide from him?' she wondered. 'No' she thought she was an adult she could handle it. She walked in his direction and said, "hey stranger!" giving him a smile. "Kate! What are you doing here?" "Well, shopping!" she said with a laugh. "Oh, yeah" he laughed. "Day off today?" she asked. "Well yes and no" he said. She waited for an explanation. "I'm going back to Haiti today, so I'm just picking up some stuff for the plane ride." "Oh that's great Josh!" meaning it. 'This was where his heart was' she thought. "How long are you staying this time?" "I don't know yet, probably awhile" was his answer. There was an awkward silence. "So how have you been Kate?" "Pretty good, just working a lot." She didn't mention she was on vacation this week. There was really no need and she didn't want to explain what she had done on her vacation. "Well sorry Kate, but I've got to run! My plane leaves in two and a half hours. It's great to see you though! You look happy! I'm glad!" She really didn't know how to reply to that. Could he see something different in her? "It's great to see you too Josh! Be careful in Haiti!" "Ok, I will! Bye! Take care!" He was off.

She knew it was the right decision for them not to be together. Helping people was his first priority right now. Admirable, but doesn't make for a good relationship always running off somewhere. She wondered, 'was he really running _to_ something, or _from_ something?' She guessed she'd probably never know. She thought about him while finishing her shopping. It _was _nice to see him. He didn't seem angry with her so it was a little bit of closure. 'Maybe he realizes it's for the best too' she thought and felt better.

Castle and Alexis had a fun evening together and talked a lot. He was going to miss her so much when she went to school. 'I guess I can't keep her from growing up forever' he thought. It was time for her to become her own person, independent of him. He just hoped he had done a good enough job with her. It was hard being a single parent, especially raising a girl. Martha was a big help though being a female who had been through it all. He loved his Mother a lot and admired her qualities.

Castle did pick out some flowers this time. It was a nice gesture especially if you were invited to someone's house. He bought a huge bouquet for her and picked up some expensive wine and scotch. "Are you going to see Kate tonight?" Martha said with raised eyebrows, ambushing him in the hall way before he could leave. "Yes Mother!" Castle said feeling like a 13 year old. "You've been seeing her a lot this week!" she said with a sideways smile. "Yes Mother!" he said again. "I have to go now before you get to your other 18 questions!" "Richard I didn't mean anything by it darling!" Martha said a tiny bit upset. "I know Mother, thank you!" He kissed her cheek and was out the door.

Kate had put on some loose fitting cream colored drawstring pants and a long blue flowy top. Her hair was half up, half down and she was barefoot. 'No need to put shoes on' she reasoned with herself. She could be a good cook if she'd had the time. She never knew what time she would be home from work and planning meals was out of the question. She decided just to make traditional steak, potatoes and salad. She bought a chocolate torte for dessert. She wasn't sure what Castle would want to drink so she bought some tonic water and limes to make gin and tonics. She had most other liquors already, along with some wine. She started broiling the steak right at 6 and the potatoes had been in the oven awhile already. Earlier she had cut up some tomatoes, carrots, cucumber and celery. She left them out of the salad on purpose in case Rick didn't like any of those things.

Her doorbell rang and she went to answer it. When she opened the door all she saw were flowers. A huge bunch of them! "Gee Castle did you leave any for anyone else to buy?" She teased. She smiled and said thank you. She smelled them on the way to the kitchen. Casablanca Lilies were part of the arrangement and she loved them! They smelled so good and were such a pure shade of white. She got out a vase and inserted the flowers into them. "I brought some wine and also some scotch if you are interested" Castle said putting them on the counter top.

She just now got a chance to look at him. 'He looks so cute and boyish!' She thought. He was wearing a short sleeve shirt, un-tucked with pockets on the front that buttoned and blue jeans. She had never seen him in a short sleeve shirt before. His hair had grown out a little too and he had a little stubble, like the first time she met him. "What would you like Castle? I kind of feel like a gin and tonic myself." "It sounds good, but I think I'll go with the scotch." Castle offered to mix the drinks for them, while Kate kept an eye on dinner. "Wow! It smells really good in here!" Castle said handing her the drink. "I hope you like steak and potatoes and salad?" Kate said with a questioning tone. "Love them!" he said.

She was tending to the salad when Rick came up from behind her and put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "I like your hair that way. It looks really good!" he said very softly still kissing her neck. She was feeling shivers up and down her body and tried to concentrate on what she was doing. It was almost impossible. "Really?" she asked breaking away from him and turning around. "Absolutely" was his response. "Thanks!" Kate smiled at him. "Lets go sit on the couch until dinner is ready." Kate suggested. Castle noticed she had set the table with everything and had two candles lit there as well. As she was on the way to the living room she put the vase of flowers on a side table.

"So how was your time with Alexis?" "Great!" He said. "It feels almost like a countdown to her going away. You still have some time with her though Castle." Kate said with empathy in her voice. "True, it just goes so fast!" he said. "How was your day today? Did you do anything exciting?" Rick said looking over at her book shelf. "No just sort of a lazy day." she replied. Rick noticed the board games she had stacked up. Monopoly, Clue and Scrabble. "You have Scrabble!" Castle blurted out. "I love Scrabble!" Kate was sort of taken aback at his enthusiasm. "Well we can play it later if you want." She said. "Ok! Look you have Clue too!" He started laughing. "What's so funny?" Kate said perplexed. "Clue and Scrabble, our two professions basically in board games!" Kate laughed at that. "I guess so!" "I have to warn you though Castle I'm pretty good at both!" Kate challenged. "Well I'm not sure you can beat a writer in Scrabble, but I guess it's worth a try!" Castle challenged back. "Care to put your money where your mouth is Castle?" She said raising her eyebrow. "Ok! Loser has to bring, buy, or make the winner coffee for a week straight!" he said playfully. She pondered over this agreement before saying, "fine!" She got up and headed for the kitchen and said, "I need to check those steaks!"

He looked at her walking back to the kitchen and noticed her bare feet. "I've never seen your naked feet before Miss Beckett! It's shocking and scandalous!" he feigned surprise. She rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. She opened the broiler door and looked at the steaks. "Perfect! Ready to eat?" "Sure!" Castle said getting up from the couch and walking into the kitchen. He helped her bring all of the food to the table. They sat down and tasted the food. "Fantastic Kate!" Castle said tasting the steak. "I have to admit it is pretty good if I do say so myself!" she said happy he liked it. "You can cook for me anytime!" Castle said paying her a complement. She just smiled. They finished dinner and cleaned up.

"Ok Castle, ready for Scrabble?" "Yes but first let me fix us another drink!" Castle motioned at the bottles on the counter. "If you think getting me buzzed is going to make me lose Castle, then don't bother!" "How dare you insinuate I'd have to stoop to such levels, Detective Beckett!" He smiled at her and fixed them drinks. Kate got out the Scrabble game and set everything up. A little competition never hurt anyone, and it was a friendly one. "I'm getting the dictionary out too, because I know you will be making words up!" Kate said as she reached for the dictionary. "Just sit down and play Sister!" She laughed while making sure Castle couldn't see her letters. "Ok let's flip a coin to see who goes first." Kate said. "Please! I'm a gentleman and ladies always go first!" Castle said debonairly. "Your buttering me up will only go so far Castle!" They were back to the bantering they both loved. It was the spark for the both of them.

They were both almost out of letters and Castle was winning by twenty points. "Don't have any good words left to make do you detective?" Kate frowned at him. "I might if you didn't cheat on that last word!" "I did not cheat! You looked it up in your little dictionary over there!" he said pointing. "Well I think it's wrong!" "Sore loser, sore loser!" Castle said in a sing-song voice. "I haven't lost _yet_ Mr. big shot writer!" It was all in good fun, neither of them were really serious and both had half smiles on their faces. Kate put down a ca in front of a t. "Cat? That's all you got?" Castle said laughing. "Yes! I'd like to see you try and make something with the letters I got!" Kate grimaced. "Ok game over!" Castle said as he put down a u between an h and a b. "Hub wins it!" He said triumphantly. "Oh brother! You just got lucky!" Kate said clearing the letters. "So you know how I like my coffee right? Cream _and _sugar! "Yes Castle, I know!" Kate pushing his shoulder as she walked by. "Want some dessert?" she asked. "Sounds good!" Castle said.

As Kate was cutting the tort Castle went to the bookshelf and pulled out the blue photo album Kate had shown him at his place. He had been scanning the bookshelves all night without her noticing and found it. It wasn't too hard since it was blue. While she was in the kitchen with her back turned he took it out of it's place, quickly opened it to the picture of Kate and her Mother. The one where she was three. He took it out of the album and unbuttoned his shirt pocket and placed in there without her noticing. 'Mission accomplished!' he thought.

Kate handed him the plate, and he asked, "did you make this?" "No" she laughed "I bought it." "Well I'm sure it tastes even better since you picked it!" 'Always the charmer' she thought. "Ready to get back to solving crimes Castle?" Kate asked taking a bite. "You know I do kind of miss it! I wonder how the guys are doing?" "Fine I'm sure!" Kate said. "Have you called the station at all?" Castle asked. "No, I was curious how everything was going at first, then I decided to give myself a break." Castle thought this was a good step forward for her and said, "Yeah you need it!"

"Listen Rick, I know we've talked about this already, but we have to be careful not to show any difference in our behavior when we go back." "I know, I understand. You aren't embarrassed to be seeing me are you?" Rick asked seriously while looking her in the eyes. "No, of course not, I just don't want all the teasing and there could be implications." "Implications?" Castle said. "Yeah if we are", she paused, "together, then Montgomery might decide not to let you work with us anymore. He may think we'll get sloppy." "Well it hasn't happened yet!" Castle said. She noticed the _yet _part. She wondered just how long he had known he loved her. "I know, but he may be wary!" Kate said emphatically. "While we are on the subject Castle, this past week has been great and I have no regrets, but I like time to myself too and just want you to know that I need space sometimes. With us working together and seeing each other it will be a lot of togetherness and I don't want you to feel rejected if may not want to see you one night or something." Kate said this as cautiously as she could trying not to hurt his feelings. "I know, Kate I understand that. We said we both wanted to go slow and I will respect that." Thank you! That means a lot!" Kate said smiling. Castle hoped this wasn't a sign she would be pulling away from him when they got back to their normal routine. All he could do was hope things would move along and neither one of them would hurt the other.

They sat on the couch and Kate snuggled up against Castle as he had his arm around her. They were both sipping on their drinks. Castle wanted to tell her what happened with his two marriages to put her mind at ease he wasn't the cheating type, but decided it was too soon. Sure, he acted like the world's biggest playboy at times, but when he found a woman, he stuck with her. He knew Kate must have some doubts about his behavior. His persona was mostly an act to hide the pain of being rejected. Kate was not the cheating type of woman though. He knew this and it was partly why he liked her. He wasn't as much of an open book as he liked to appear. He had insecurities and fears like everyone else, he was just better at hiding them, then most. He felt as their relationship grew he would be able to share this side with her more. He hoped she would open up to him as well and share her feelings. He needed her to, to truly get to know her.

They had been talking for awhile on the couch and then were silent awhile. Rick bent down and kissed her forehead. This closeness was so foreign to them after being so non-physical for so long. It was starting to feel more comfortable though. Kate felt a little bad saying she needed space earlier and so she said, "Rick I just want you to know how much need you. I've grown to depend on you as a partner and friend. I will try to keep letting you in, but you may have to be patient with me. I've basically relied on myself so much it's hard to let people help me and confide in them." He pulled away from her to look at her. "I will try and be patient Kate. As you know that is not one of my strongest qualities. When I get something in my head I go full speed ahead!" "Yeah, I know!" She said smiling. She put her hand up to his face and stroked his cheek. "That's part of the reason I love you!" She said lovingly. She leaned in closer and kissed him. They kissed each other almost as a signature on an unwritten contract as if to say, 'I'll let you in and I won't push too hard'. It was tender and passionate and Rick put his hand up under her top and caressed her bare back. She kissed his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. "Ok gotta go!" Castle jumped up. Kate was surprised he was holding himself back, but she knew they had to stop too. She walked him to the door and they hugged for a couple of minutes. "Thank you for the lovely flowers Rick!" she said pushing back to look at him. "You're welcome, my pleasure!" The dinner was awesome!" he said. "Ok well I guess we'll see each other Monday then?" Kate said opening the door. "Yeah!" Castle said. He walked out the door and turned around and smiled. "Bye honey!" she added. "Bye sweetheart!" Castle almost whispered.

Sunday morning Kate decided to call Lanie to see if she wanted to go shopping. She found Lanie's number in her phone and called. "Hello?" Lanie said. "Hi Lanie, it's Kate! How are you doing?" "Fine honey, how are you?" "Great!" Kate said a little too enthusiastically. She sort of grimaced. "Well I see the vacation has had a good effect on you!" "Yeah, it's been nice to have this past week off." Kate said hoping Lanie didn't hear too much in her voice. "I was wondering if you aren't busy today if you'd like to go out to lunch and shopping? I'll buy!" "That sounds great! Nope, not busy and I don't have any plans. Esposito is working so I'm free as a bird!" Lanie sounded happy she called. "Eposito is working? What's he working on? Oh never mind you won't tell me anyway!" Kate decided to give up early. "That's right I wouldn't! You will be back there soon enough!" Lanie said in a motherly voice. "Ok, ok, I'll come pick you up, say around 12:00?" Kate asked. "Yeah, that should be good!" Lanie replied. "Alright, I'll see you then!" Kate said before hanging up.

Kate was getting used to having a normal sleep schedule. She could be called in anytime after midnight tonight if there was a murder. She hoped she could sleep until a normal hour, but it happened all too often that she didn't. 'Well back to the grind!' she thought. She got ready to meet Lanie and headed out the door. She knew she had to think up some things to tell Lanie what she had been doing on her time off. She wasn't going to lie to her, but she wasn't going to include the stuff she did with Castle either.

Lanie answered the door putting on her shoes. "Hey girl! I'm almost ready!" "No problem, we aren't in any hurry." Kate said. "So where are you taking me to lunch?" "Well I hadn't thought that far ahead. What sounds good?" Kate asked. "How about Chinese?" Lanie said. "That actually sounds really good!" They decided on a little place not far from all the shopping.

They were seated in a booth to the side of the restaurant. The waiter brought two ceramic cups out and a tea pot and poured them a cup of black tea. They were looking over the menu when Lanie said "So what have you done on your vaca? You seem to be relaxed and happy!" "Well I've been sleeping in a lot, and been cleaning, went for a drive upstate, and a few other things. Oh, well, and dancing with you of course!" Kate smiled. "Good, girl you deserve it! You work hard!" Lanie said truthfully. "Well a couple of days were not so good." Kate said without a smile this time. "What? Why not?" Lanie frowned a little bit. "Just thinking about my Mom, you know." Kate said looking down. Lanie was a little taken aback that Kate was being so open. 'Not really like her' she thought. "Yeah? What were you thinking?" Lanie said trying to draw her out some. "You know Lanie when she was killed, I did grieve for her. I cried, I missed her and everything, but I was so young still. Now all these years have gone by without her. She has missed so much of my life and I've missed so much of hers. I've been so overwhelmed with grief for her these past few days. I fully realize what the loss means now, you know, as an adult. I realized too I've been so obsessed with how she died I had almost forgotten how she lived. What she did, what she liked and didn't like, her personality. You know those kinds of things. So I cried for two days, I mean really sobbed. It was cathartic and something I never even got close to in therapy." "Well sometimes it just takes time for those things to work themselves out, you know? I'm so sorry honey! If it helps you can have my Mother! I'll give her to you!" Lanie raised her eyebrows and did an eye roll. Kate laughed at that. "Lanie you are awful!" Kate said chastising her friend. "Honey, you haven't met my Mother! I love her of course, but the woman can drive you crazy!" Lanie said with a smirk on her face. "Seriously though, sweetie if you feel it you should let it out, don't feel bad about that. Sometimes you just gotta cry it out!" Lanie said putting her hand on Kate's wrist. "I know." Kate said a little sadly.

"So anything you need to shop for in particular?" Lanie asked Kate. "Yeah, work clothes! I feel like I'm wearing the same things over an over again." "Me too. Plus I gotta look cute for when Javie comes and sees me at work!" She said smiling. "So I take it things are going good?" Kate smiled back. "Yeah, pretty good. You know we have our little tiffs here and there, but we do get along pretty well, surprisingly." Lanie said honestly. "Good! I'm happy for you both!" Kate said sincerely. They had ordered in between their conversation and their food had arrived. "Mmmm this is good Lanie, I'm glad you knew about this place!" Kate said still chewing her food. "I found it when I worked a body down the street." This did not phase Kate. Some people may be put off talking about dead bodies and food at the same time but in their line of work, it was normal. "Well I will definitely come here again!" Kate said. Laine tried to pitch in for the lunch, but Kate insisted and said, "_I _invited you!" Lanie relented.

They got to the store and headed for the clothes racks. There was a sale going on so they went on the right day. Kate found some shirts, pants and jackets that would go together and with the other clothes she had. Lanie didn't find much more than a couple of shirts but they were on sale so she was happy. They went to the shoe department next and Kate found some high healed black shoes with straps. "Girl those are hot! You should buy them!" Lanie suggested. Kate tried them on and walked around in them. She started thinking about if Castle would like them. 'God have I already gone there with him!' she wondered. Like she was some teenage girl hoping that the Football Captain would think she was hot. She didn't care, she bought them anyway. _She _thought they were cute and that was enough.

They had spent the better part of the afternoon shopping. They were tired so they headed back to Lanie's apartment. Lanie invited Kate in for a glass of wine. "Sure" said Kate. They each had a glass and were sitting at Lanie's dinning room table. The chairs were comfortable so it was easy to kick back there. They talked about work some and the pet peeves they had with procedural stuff. Just everyday gripes that people have about their jobs. Kate asked if Lanie had worked any murders this past week and she said one, but the case was another detectives. Gunshot wound to the head. Standard drug deal gone wrong. Lanie said she had heard Ryan and Jenny were in the stages of planning their wedding. "That's so nice. She's really good for him!" Kate said. They talked awhile more and Kate got up and said she had to leave. "Back to work tomorrow!" Kate said with a bit of a sigh in her voice. "I'm on duty tomorrow too girl, so if you catch a body I'll be there!" Lanie said with an equal sigh in her voice. "Ok Lanie well I'll be seeing you soon I'm sure!" Kate said hugging Lanie. "Ok, and Kate we really need to get together more often! I'm serious we don't do this nearly enough!" "We will, I promise!" Kate smiled. "I'ma hold you to that!" Lanie said raising her eyebrows. "Oh I know you will! You are like an elephant, you never forget anything I say!" Kate said laughing. The two women hugged again and Kate was in the elevator and on her way home.

Kate took a hot bath and read a book before going to bed. She tried to go to bed a little early in case she was called in the middle of the night. 'What a week! What a terrific, amazing and surprising week!' she thought before she drifted off to sleep.


End file.
